The defending PBA Commissioner’s Cup champions are more than ready for their title defense.
The TNT Tropang Giga are bringing in the 7-foot-3, six-year NBA veteran Bol Bol for this year’s Commissioner’s Cup which rival coach Yeng Guiao likened to “bringing a machine gun to [a] knife fight.”
The 26-year-old Bol was with the NBA’s Phoenix Suns last season, though he was not re-signed this past offseason after his contract expired. He was a second-round pick of the Miami Heat in the 2019 NBA Draft and played for the Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, and Suns in the NBA. Now, Bol is headed to the Philippines for his first professional stint outside of the NBA.
Bol is replacing TNT’s resident import, former NBA forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who is sidelined with a ruptured Achilles tendon. Hollis-Jefferson was instrumental in delivering last season’s Commissioner’s Cup title to TNT and has already earned three Best Import awards during his time in the league.
Despite being among the smallest imports in a conference without a height limit, he powered the Tropang Giga to the championship last year. He was originally slated for another tour of duty with TNT before he suffered his injury while on loan to the Meralco Bolts in the East Asia Super League.
Hollis-Jefferson is one of the best imports to play in the PBA in recent memory and the void that he leaves is no small one. However, Bol is more than equipped to fill in for Hollis-Jefferson. In a league where local centers average around 6-foot-5, Bol’s 7-foot-3 frame alone presents an immediate matchup problem.
It was just two years ago that NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal went viral for suggesting that Bol’s physique and skill set were not too far off from that of Victor Wembanyama and that the only difference between the two is that the former is lazy.
Bol now has the perfect chance to show off everything that he can do on the basketball court as he faces off against a lower level of competition in the Philippines. He will not be the only player with NBA experience this conference though. Blackwater has tapped Daniel Ochefu, a former Washington Wizard, while Converge FiberXers have secured Kylor Kelley, who recently signed a two-way deal with the Los Angeles Lakers before beginning the season in the G League.
Barangay Ginebra, meanwhile, is sticking with their long-time reinforcement and naturalized Filipino Justin Brownlee.
Still, none of them possess the natural gifts that Bol has.
TNT is sending a clear message by bringing in Bol as its import—an unmistakable sign that they are deadset on defending their crown. If Bol can adapt quickly to his role as the focal point of the Tropang Giga’s offense, they will be exceedingly difficult to contain, and another Commissioner’s Cup trophy could very well be on the way.
